Method and system for processing vehicular violations

• US 8,738,525 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2012
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Traffic Solutions Consolidated LLC
• Original Assignee: Rent A Toll Ltd
• Inventors: Balachandran, Sarath K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Havan, Thu Thao
• Application Number:
  US13/714,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20140019349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 705 35- 40
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

A method includes receiving paper comprising information regarding a vehicular violation, the information comprising a unique vehicle identifier and a violation classification, extracting from the paper the unique vehicle identifier and the violation classification via automated pattern recognition, uploading the extracted unique vehicle identifier and the violation classification to a database, determining whether the extracted unique vehicle identifier is associated with a predefined plurality of vehicles, responsive to a determination that the unique vehicle identifier is associated with a vehicle of the predefined plurality of vehicles, charging a violation fee for the vehicular violation to a party that was responsible for the vehicle at the time of the vehicular violation, responsive to a determination that the unique vehicle identifier is not associated with the predefined plurality of vehicles, disputing responsibility for the vehicular violation.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

by a computer system comprising computer hardware;

receiving paper comprising information regarding a vehicular violation, the information comprising a license plate number and a violation classification;

extracting from the paper the license plate number and the violation classification via an automated extraction technique;

uploading the extracted license plate number and the violation classification to a database;

determining whether the extracted license plate number is associated with a predefined plurality of vehicles;

responsive to a determination that the license plate number is associated with a vehicle of the predefined plurality of vehicles, charging a violation fee for the vehicular violation to a party that was responsible for the vehicle at the time of the vehicular violation; and

responsive to a determination that the license plate number is not associated with the predefined plurality of vehicles, disputing responsibility for the vehicular violation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the disputing step comprises providing evidence of non-responsibility for the vehicle at the time of the vehicular violation.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the evidence of non-responsibility comprises sale documents.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the evidence of non-responsibility comprises lease-return documents.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined plurality of vehicles is a plurality of vehicles available for rent by a rental-car agency.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising, responsive to a determination that the license plate number is associated with the vehicle of the predefined plurality of vehicles:

determining whether the vehicle was rented at the time of the vehicular violation;

responsive to a determination that the vehicle was rented at the time of the vehicular violation, identifying a renter of the vehicle at the time of the vehicular violation as the party responsible for the vehicle at the time of the vehicular violation; and

responsive to a determination that the vehicle was not rented at the time of the vehicular violation, identifying the rental-car agency as the party responsible for the vehicle at the time of the vehicular violation.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising paying the violation fee.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step comprises comparing the license plate number to a plurality of license plate numbers in a database.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the database comprises rental-car-agreement data of a rental-car agency.

10. The method of claim 6, comprising:

identifying an employee of the rental-car agency who was responsible for the vehicle at the time of the vehicular violation; and

charging the employee the violation fee.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicular violation is selected from the group consisting of a toll violation, a parking violation, and a traffic violation.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the violation classification is selected from the group consisting of a first notice, a second notice, a collection letter, and a court notice.

13. The method of claim 1, comprising sorting the vehicular violation among a plurality of vehicular violations by the violation classification.

14. A system for vehicular violations automation, the system comprising:

a first entity for receiving paper comprising information regarding a vehicular violation, the information comprising a license plate number and a violation classification;

a first computer associated with the first entity and adapted for automated pattern recognition for extracting from the paper the license plate number and the violation classification;

a database associated with the first entity and adapted for receiving the license plate number and the violation classification that was extracted by the first computer;

a second computer associated with the first entity and adapted for violation processing logic to determine whether the extracted license plate number is associated with a predefined plurality of vehicles;

wherein the second computer determines whether the license plate number is associated with a vehicle of the predefined plurality of vehicles;

responsive to a determination that the license plate number is associated with a vehicle of the predefined plurality of vehicles, the second computer charges a violation fee for the vehicular violation to a party that was responsible for the vehicle at the time of the vehicular violation; and

responsive to a determination that the license plate number is not associated with the predefined plurality of vehicles, the second computer disputes responsibility for the vehicular violation.

15. The system of claim 14, comprising, responsive to a determination that the license plate number is associated with the vehicle of the predefined plurality of vehicles:

the second computer determines whether the vehicle was rented at the time of the vehicular violation;

responsive to a determination that the vehicle was rented at the time of the vehicular violation, the second computer identifies a renter of the vehicle at the time of the vehicular violation as the party responsible for the vehicle at the time of the vehicular violation; and

responsive to a determination that the vehicle was not rented at the time of the vehicular violation, the second computer identifies the rental-car agency as the party responsible for the vehicle at the time of the vehicular violation.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the predefined plurality of vehicles is a plurality of vehicles available for rent by a rental-car agency.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the vehicular violation is selected from the group consisting of a toll violation, a parking violation, and a traffic violation.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the disputing step comprises providing evidence of non-responsibility for the vehicle at the time of the vehicular violation.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the evidence of non-responsibility comprises sale documents.